Logan Sargeant’s journey in the 2024 Formula 1 season has encountered its fair share of challenges, but he’s found solace in the wisdom of world champion Damon Hill.
Damon Hill, the illustrious 1996 Formula 1 world champion, has stepped forward to offer guidance to Williams’ Logan Sargeant amidst the escalating pressure surrounding the American’s future in the sport.
After a demanding rookie year, Sargeant secured a spot for a sophomore season with the Grove-based team. However, the 23-year-old faced a rocky start when Williams decided to bench him in Australia, allocating his chassis to teammate Alex Albon, who suffered tub damage in a practice accident.
Sargeant encountered his own setback at the Japanese Grand Prix, where a mishap in the initial sector led to a collision with the wall.
In light of these challenges, Hill advised Sargeant to maintain a measured approach, steering clear of the temptation to demonstrate sudden and dramatic improvements overnight.
“There’s only so much you can do,” Hill remarked. “There’s things you can affect and things you can’t affect. And the things you can affect, obviously, are the things you need to put all your focus on. And that means driving.
“His crash at Suzuka was a sign that he felt he had to do something brilliant as soon as possible.
“I think that the panic should not set in, you need to keep a cool head to say, ‘Listen, there’s only so much you can do’. And you have to drive a little bit within yourself.
“You can’t suddenly become Max Verstappen in one mighty leap, you have to know yourself.”
Sargeant’s challenging beginning has already prompted speculation regarding his prospects of holding onto his seat for the 2025 season. Hill has advised Sargeant to streamline his focus in order to facilitate the improvements he desires.
“If he just does a good solid job in whatever race he comes up against, and just puts all the rest of it out of his head, because there’s nothing he can do about it anyway, then we’ll see what happens.
“It’s almost like you’ve just got to take everything corner by corner, literally, all that matters is doing each corner right.
“You join them all up together and the lap will be better and then you’ve got a better lap and then you go out again and you’ve got that as your foundation. You can break it down into making it very, very simple, rather than complicated.”
